Located in the modern and commercial area of the medieval town of Ainsa, in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees of Huesca and on the banks of the Ara River, an ideal place to practice many outdoor activities. The Sobrarbe region has 2200 kilometres of surface to discover, a land of great contrasts with a national park and two natural parks , as well as other figures of protection of its territory, which shows the great natural value of the region. What makes Sobrarbe different from other territories is the diversity of the landscape that we can enjoy, From large glaciers and cuttings, to canyons and ravines, endless waterfalls, forest areas, beautiful meadows, trails, living rivers, magic lakes and gorges, caves and mountains covered with fossils, to more Mediterranean valleys dotted with many towns and villages that comfort unique landscapes. Your visit to these lands requires a plan to be able to enjoy during your stay everything that this region has to offer. With it, we will only manage to enjoy a small part of the territory, enough to hook you definitively by its beauty, purity and serenity. We offer you a series of proposals broken down by valleys so that you can plan your stay in the Sobrarbe:
First day: Visit The Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, is the highest limestone massif in Europe, is part of the Ordesa-Vignemale Biosphere Reserve and, together with the glaciers on the French side of the Pyrenees, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The park includes the Ordesa, Pineta, Añisclo and Escuain Valleys and any of these valleys require a daily visit.
Second day: Enjoy the Pineta Valley, which includes the Monte Perdido Glacier, pine and beech forests, waterfalls, ravines and a spectacular fauna (sarrios, marmots, bearded vultures, griffon vultures, golden eagles) and flora (purple bellflower, lady’s slipper). On your way you can visit the municipality of Bielsa and the Municipal Ethnological Museum. Take advantage of this day to also visit the impressive Barrosa circus, Lalarri, the Liena de Chisagües mines, or the Urdiceto lake among others.
Third day : Get to know the Valley and the Escuain Gorges and the Añisclo Canyon through which the Yaga and Bellos rivers run in a spectacular orography that immerses you in a territory of unimaginable beauty. Leave your vehicle in the parking area and walk along the large cut of the Añisclo Canyon to San Urbez. From this area you can follow the road and get to know the towns of Fanlo and Nerin and get closer in the bus adapted to the terrain, to the balcony where you can enjoy an impressive view of Monte Perdido, Cilindro and Soum de Ramón.
Fourth day: Go to the Posets Maladeta Natural Park and get into the heart of the unique Gistain Valley, where time seems to pass more slowly and enjoy the authenticity of the territory, a beautiful valley where the last extensions of glaciers survive next to Monte Perdido. From Gistain you can find the viewpoint of the Cruz de Puyadase with a magnificent view, the Viados meadows and its typical embroideries, La Basa de la Mora….. areas that you should not miss.
Fifth day : Meet the Valley of Puértolas and Tella. An area where a whole world of beliefs and mythology is still sheltered around giants, witches, superstitions and myths. In Tella, you can enjoy a walk along the Route of the Romanesque Hermitages and complement it with a visit to the Visitors’ Centre and the Museum of the Cave Bear. Don’t forget to make a stop at the famous Dolmen in Tella and visit the cave of the cave bear.it’s worthwhile to go to Revilla, a natural paradise where the bearded vulture lives and which is easy to spot.on your return, enjoy a swim in the waters of the Cinca River, with direct access to bathing areas or go to the Gorgas del Rio Bellos in Puyarruego, a unique experience.
Day six : We’re going to France! Only 45 kilometres away, we can cross to the neighbouring country through the Bielsa tunnel to know the other side of the Pyrenees by its North face with the great contrasts with the Spanish territory, visit the town of Saint Lary, typical French town with great charm, you can know its famous lakes and even enjoy a thermal centre. A second option is to go to the city of Lourdes, a sanctuary of world pilgrimage and enjoy the tour by seeing the emblematic ports of the Tour de France.
Seventh day: Another very interesting proposal is the visit to the Natural Park of the Canyons and Sierra de Guara whose landscape values are the result of the fluvial erosion that has given rise to spectacular canyons, mallos, stone quarries and cavities. This area is very popular with adventure companies for canyoning. You can do this activity here. Enjoy a short excursion to the caves with their cave paintings and go to the beautiful town of Alquezar, where you can also enjoy a natural swimming area at the Bierge waterfall. On your return you must make two stops, in Colungo to visit the interpretation centre dedicated to cave art and in Lecina, to see the impressive “Encina Milenaria”, an immense 600 m2 specimen.
Eighth day: Another very attractive option is the visit to the Bujaruelo Valley where water is always present as in the Ordesa National Park, jumping in the form of waterfalls and ravines. The Vignemale is in this valley and has been declared a “Biosphere Reserve”. You can visit the remains of the chapel of San Nicolás next to the bridge of the same name and for the more daring, climb the pass of Bujaruelo and enjoy the Circo de Gavarnie. On your return you can visit several of the villages that make up the Ara Valley, such as Janovas or La Solana, villages that were abandoned in the 1960s due to the imminent creation of the swamp that never was, or stop off at the town of Boltaña and visit its old town, also again along the Ara River, where you will find natural bathing areas such as the gorgas of Balupor.
Ninth day : Lose yourself in the Sobrarbe Biello and enjoy the geological heritage of Sobrarbe. In any of the excursions you do in this area, you will “step on” fossil remains, go to the paleontological museum of La Mata, the watchtower of Abizanda, the church of Olson, which has been declared a Historic-Artistic Monument and is known in the region as “The Cathedral of Sobrarbe”, the Sanctuary of Santa María de la Nuez, as well as the Romanesque churches of Santa María de Buil, Latorrecilla and Guaso, and place yourself in the centre of the hiding place of Guaso to scare away the storms. From the top of the tozal, admire the magnificent views of the banks of the Ara that run from Boltaña to Ainsa. On the way back, you can find a pond in the Ena River where you can end this day in a pleasant way.
Tenth day: Changing the landscape we can go into the Valley of Bajo Peñas, La Peña Montañesa, a massif belonging to Sierra Ferrera, which shelters under its mantle several villages of Laspuña, Pueyo de Araguas and La Fueva, making this area a fascinating and unique place, where watching birds of prey fly is commonplace under the protection of the imposing Peña Montañesa. Must see: San Juan de Toledo and its Romanesque Lombard church and La Fuensanta in Laspuña. A must see is the Monastery of San Victorián, the oldest in Spain, was for a millennium the cultural and spiritual centre of the Sobrarbe and if we continue in this area we can reach the hermitage of the Espelunga. If you are strong, climb the Peña Montañesa, the prize is priceless, with impressive views of much of the Sobrarbe region. On your return, enjoy a dip in the warm waters of the river La Nata as it passes through Arro.
Eleventh day: Sobrarbe surprises us again with the picture of the Fueva Valley. The area with the biggest plain in the region, this municipality has more than 20 villages distributed all over the valley. Come to Mediano to see the reservoir that never ends to cover its tower, enjoy a canoe ride through its calm waters, or if you prefer we recommend the route of the horseback riding that starts in the town of Liguerre del Cinca, passes through the Mediano dam and ends in the town of Palo. Other important points to visit in this valley are the church and castles of Samitier, the fortified village of Muro de Roda, which is a defensive site, a walled enclosure from the 12th century and is classified as a National Historical Monument. The church of Troncedo.
Twelfth day: The Sobrarbe region is strategically located between France to the north, the Benasque valley to the east, the Tena valley and the Jacetania valley to the west, and the Somontano valley to the south. You can also go to Somontano to visit one of the wineries that exist in this Somontano wine appellation or if you prefer the Sanctuary of Torreciudad in Grado.
